1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to supports and, more particularly, to cable suspension clamps.
2. Description of the Related Art
xe2x80x9cAerial Service Wirexe2x80x9d provides telephone service to a customer. Aerial service wire is telephone cable that spans from a utility pole to the customer""s premises. Aerial service wire, however, may also run underground to the customer""s premises. When aerial service wire spans from a utility pole to the customer""s premises, the aerial service wire is clamped and hung from a terminal at the utility pole.
Aerial service wire, however, is very difficult to hang. Prior art aerial service wire clamps comprise three pieces. These three-piece clamps must first be assembled to clamp the aerial service wire. Assembling these prior art clamps, however, is a challenge for the technician. The technician is usually high atop a ladder at the utility pole. The technician must hold the aerial service wire with one hand, assemble the three-piece clamp with the other hand, and still maintain balance atop the ladder. This procedure is very time-consuming, thus preventing the technician from quickly resolving the problem and moving on to another customer. Should the technician drop on the three pieces, the technician wastes even more time when climbing down from the ladder to retrieve the piece. There is, accordingly, a need in the art for an apparatus and method that allows a technician to quickly and to conveniently clamp aerial service wire.
The aforementioned problems, and other problems, are reduced by an apparatus and method for clamping cable. This invention is a single-piece clamping apparatus for various electrical conductors. This invention, in particular, is a single-piece clamping apparatus for aerial service wires. Whereas the prior art clamps had three separate pieces, the clamp of this invention has only one component. A technician is able to hold the aerial service wire in one hand, and then slide this invention over the cable using the other hand. The apparatus of this invention, in fact, may be installed on the cable while the technician is on the ground. When the technician then climbs the ladder, this invention is quickly and easily slid to any desired location along the cable. Because this invention allows the technician to quickly and to easily hang cables, such as aerial service wire, the technician is able to more quickly complete the customer""s repair. This invention is also easier to adjust over time. As the cable ages, the cable stretches in length and sags. The cable will also sag in the hot summer sun. A technician, then, often will tighten the cable clamp to remove this sag. Because this invention is quickly and easily slid to any desired location along the cable, the technician easily manipulates this invention to remove sag in the cable. This invention thus allows the technician to more quickly complete repairs and, this invention saves money by permitting the technician to complete more repairs per week.
One embodiment of this invention describes an apparatus for clamping cable. This apparatus comprises an elongate body having a first end, a second end, and an interior passage extending from the first end to the second end. The interior passage has an inner wall defining a longitudinal axis extending from the first end to the second end. The interior passage is open at the first end and is open at the second end, such that an end of the cable is inserted into the first end, pushed through the interior passage, and pushed out the second end. A roller mounts within the interior passage, and the cable rolls along the roller as the cable is pushed through the interior passage. A wedge slides within the body to a position adjacent the roller, and the wedge clamps the cable between the roller and the wedge. Tension in the cable in one direction causes the wedge to slide away from the roller, thus permitting the apparatus to be slid along the cable to a desired location. Tension in the cable in the opposite direction, however, causes the wedge to slide to the roller, thus clamping the cable within the apparatus.
Another embodiment of this invention describes a method for clamping a cable. An end of the cable is inserted into a single piece clamp. The single piece clamp comprises a roller and a sliding wedge. The single piece clamp is hung to create tension in the cable, and the tension causes the wedge to slide to a position adjacent the roller and to clamp the cable between the roller and the wedge.